We write our Erotic Romance stories to entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination.

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We’re thrilled to welcome British author Keith Brighouse to our pages today, here to talk about his new release, The Peep Show!

Politics And Sex

There was a time when sex and politics was strictly a ‘no no’, it just didn’t happen. Politicians were married to asexual wives who had children through immaculate conception and the odd politician who had a beautiful wife, the wife was so beautiful, one couldn’t imagine the politician straying into someone else’s bed. In a time before the communications revolution, secrets on the whole, could be kept in-house, and while politicians had sex, in theory at least, it was just impossible to imagine it.

How things have changed, such is the low public opinion of politicians, we expect them to spend half their lives with their trousers around their ankles. Now it isn’t so much a question of whether they’re having sex, but what type of sex are they having? And how taboo is it? A simple sexual affair no longer means the end of a politician’s career, in Britain at least, it all depends on the circumstances. A politician who never pontificates on moral matters, and never spouts on the sanctity of marriage, will on the whole, have no career damage if his (I say his, as it is almost always a man) affairs are made public in the tabloid.

In Britain we have had a whole raft of politicians being exposed as philanderers over the last twenty years with no negative impact on their careers. It is the type of affair and its context that matters, not the actual act itself. Politicians who have beautiful wives are thought to be more likely to stray, after all, they have the gift of attracting beautiful women, and for politicians to have such a gift, one expects them to be underhanded enough to use it. There simply have been too many revelations in our modern age where secrets are almost impossible to keep. One Conservative government minister, the aristocratic Alan Clark, not only bedded another man’s wife but his two daughters too. Ex-Prime Minister John Major had a four year affair with ex-Minister and MP, Edwina Currie, much to the amusement of the British nation. We also now have openly gay government ministers who are quite happy to be seen with their lovers in public and not an eye-brow is raised. It wasn’t so long ago a mere rumour of being gay, never mind the brazen act of being openly gay and having a lover, would have, if not immediately ended a political career, would have sent it into a nosedive from which it would have never recovered.

According to English poet Philip Larkin, Sex began in 1963/ Between Lady Chatterley’s Lover/ and the Beatles first LP. Well not exactly. In British politics it was 1961 when the seeds of the Profumo Affair took root, when John Profumo, the British Minister of State for War had an affair with a beautiful young woman, Christine Keeler, who the press labeled a call girl, who was also having an affair with a Russian spy at the time. It led to an almost immediate end of the Minister’s career, who had lied in Parliament to keep the affair secret. It was a sexual scandal which played a major part in the then Conservative government losing the following election. It was a sex scandal in a more puritanical age when politicians were expected to be honest (how naïve!), moral (what a laugh!) and with all the integrity of your local bank manager (once you have stopped laughing, I’ll carry on). Now, in a more cynical age, all politicians are tainted and no one expects them to be honest and moral, and integrity belongs to the naïve past. However, such a view has had the positive affect of allowing politicians to have a sex life, as long as their ‘willy waving’ is kept within acceptable boundaries.

George, the politician in my story ThePeepShowdoesn’t just break one taboo but several. His story is based on a story I was told about by an actual owner of a London peep show, and the person who told me vowed it was true, though I remain skeptical. I have made fictional enhancements for the benefit of the romp. For me, George is a sympathetic figure, a lonely man looking for solace, one could question his judgment but he certainly isn’t predatory, but people for the most part, judge actions, not motive. Not only does George frequent seedy sex establishments, already enough for the tabloids to create a week of lurid headlines but he is having an affair with one of the young strippers there, the gorgeous Oliva. To make matters worst, in our times of hysterical pedophilia, the young woman in question is not only young enough to be his daughter but comes from a comfortable bourgeois family. Now this might seem trivial but not to the tabloids. One might expect a young working class girl of morals loose enough to work in such a sex establishment to anchor herself onto an affluent man. However, a young woman like Olivia, from an upright family and with a good upbringing and a bright future to be working in such a place and on the arm of a ‘dirty old man’, one assumes she must have been groomed and taken advantage of. Along with the devastation caused to his family, George would suffer trial-by-tabloid and be found guilty if his story leaked out. He would be forever marked as the sleazy politician who used his money and influence to corrupt an innocent young women. Truth! What of it?

Despite us thinking we live in a more worldly, more liberal age, we have merely redrawn the boundaries to render our own hypocrisies redundant. As always, we rationalize and justify our own behaviours by widening the boundaries for other people. When it comes to politicians, the public is still largely puritan, expecting better behavior from them than from ourselves. We are allowed our peccadilloes because they only affect us and those near to us, but for politicians, how can they possibly run the country properly if they have no sense of decorum when it comes to sex, as though sex interferes in their ability to run the economy. Rightly or wrongly, I suspect their economic competence or incompetence has more effect on the economy than which way their pendulum swings.

*****

London’s backstreet “peep show” acts as a crossroads for four fascinating people: Lucien, the misogynistic and perverse owner who takes advantage of his sexy employees every chance he can get; gorgeous, young Olivia, who performs in the peep show as a way of rebelling against her strict upbringing; Sharon, the curvy and lusty career stripper; and George, a politician at the end of his game who seeks a diversion at the peep show from his miserable marriage and career, and comes out with more than he bargained for. The story unfolds as the characters clash together and come apart, and come together again. In the end, for each of them, sex is both the problem and the solution.

Keith Brighouse was born in Liverpool, England, in 1955 and grew up in a coal mining village in Yorkshire from the age of four. On leaving school he traveled widely, working in many countries, mostly employed in menial jobs, fitting in his art education along the way, which all gave him an education in life. He also worked in the probation service for a time, offenders being an important source of many of his ideas and caused him to question many mainstream values. He now devotes his time to art and writing poetry, dividing his time between Rotterdam and Berlin. Writing prose is a new venture. Find him at: www.keithbrighouse.nl and http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1110926737 and http://www.borisandbettybad.blogspot.com/

Reluctant Romance: Guys and Girls by Various Authors

Sometimes true love is reluctant to blossom and needs a little bit of coaxing in order to come out. But a strong will and a heart filled with determination will triumph every time! The authors of the Bigger Briefs present to you these m/f tales of lovers who just need a gentle prod to push them into the relationship they’ve been yearning for.

Lori very carefully re-folded the twenty and put it safely in her pocket. She didn’t want to run the chance of smearing the numbers any more than they already were.

Confidence fueled her steps as she checked on the last of her customers. It wasn’t her imagination. Julian really was checking her out. But for what? He was a sophisticated looking guy, what could he possibly want with her? Probably looking for an easy lay.

Her heart sank a little at that notion. Nothing ever came easy in her life and it was no use getting her hopes set too high that Julian really liked her. All she could offer was love, and sometimes that just wasn’t enough.

* * * *
The twenty dollar bill propped up against her bedside lamp taunted her. Every time she saw it she was tempted to call, but she hadn’t. The fear of disappointment was just too high. By not calling Julian, the fantasy of the unknown wouldn’t be crushed if he did turn out to be a slimy bastard who only wanted one thing.

It had been three days since she saw Julian. He hadn’t tried to contact her and that was telling in itself . Had he truly wanted to get to know her, then he would have called the pizzeria or stopped by. But he hadn’t.

The crowd was light for a Tuesday evening. She tended to her tables in a mundane fashion. Just going through the motions until she could go back to her apartment and stare at the stupid twenty again. At a set of numbers she would never ever have the courage to call.

It was fifteen minutes to closing when the bell chimed on the front door. She didn’t have the energy to shout a greeting or tell them they’d be closing soon. One of the other waitresses could handle it.

At a light tap on her shoulder, she clasped her chest in fear as she spun around. Her mouth fell open; Julian stood in front of her, a shocked expression on his face, his hands held up in the air.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Just as her heartbeat had started to fall back to a normal rhythm, it spiked again. The object of her desire stood right in front of her, his upper lip curled into a very enticing grin.

Drum roll, please! The Random Number Generator has spoken, and our Winner in the Angels and Demons BlogHop is…

#29, Tyggy! I’ll be sending you your copy of Colors of the Night – hope you enjoy it. It should be right up your alley, judging from your comment 🙂

And a drum roll too for the grand prize winners:

Stephanie, Winner #1291, who won a Kindle Fire, and
Drake, Winner # 4695, who won an Amazon $60 Gift Card

It was a fabulous hop and I loved all your comments – hmm, hadn’t thought about an Angel’s extra added attraction of feathers, you were all very creative!

Our newest book was just released Sunday at Extasy Books! No angels or demons in this one (but you can bet we’re cooking some up for later) – just a happily married pair of baby boomers with an empty nest, trying to spice up their sex life. They’ve been doing great so far with exciting adventures in the swing lifestyle. Here’s the cover, blurb and an excerpt:

The sought-after Unicorn, so elusive in the Swing Lifestyle. Now that Sarah Creston has materialized in Jen and Brett Andrews’ bed, what’s next?

BLURB

It all seemed so simple: Sarah Creston would move in for the summer, Brett and Jen Andrews could revel in their new threesome, and everyone else would understand. But now Donna and Ryan – their best friends and lovers – won’t speak to them, and Jen seems so infatuated with Sarah that even Brett is worried about the consequences.

Battered from the double whammy of her husband’s death and caring for her aging parents, Sarah Creston thrills to Jen and Brett’s exquisite care and ravishing sex. Now that she’s had her first taste of a woman, will she be satisfied – or will she want more? Everything hinges on what Sarah wants.

EXCERPT

Feeling like a human sponge, Sarah sighed. Her eyelids fluttered open and shut as she tried to survey the scene around her, but all five senses were on overload.

“This is beyond my wildest imagination,” she mumbled to no one in particular.

Completely nude, she lay on her back atop Carl and Alice’s massage table. Her naked partners had already rubbed down every square inch of her backside—every square inch before turning her over to tend to her front. Sarah laced the fingers of her right hand through Jen’s hair as her lover suckled a breast as if it were their very first time. Similarly, Brett continued tonguing her other breast.

“We’re pleased that you’re pleased,” Carl said, bending over to kiss Sarah’s forehead without interrupting his steady massage of her temples.

“You’re amazing,” she whispered, puckering her lips while reaching up to pull his lips closer to hers. She sighed again as his lips covered hers for another soul searching kiss. Both he and his wife had proven to be incredible kissers. She could hardly wait to see what else they might be incredible at doing to her—or with her.

“Ah,” Sarah moaned. Her hips tensed.

Smiling, Carl broke their kiss and continued massaging her brow, giving her ample opportunity to appreciate Alice’s warm breath flowing over her pussy.

“Relax,” Alice cooed, blowing on her again.

Sarah did her best to soften her muscles, to sink deeper into the massage table and trust her body to her lovers.

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